


Mirror Ball

by WishaDream



Series: Tale's as Sad as Time [2]
Category: Kaylor - Fandom, Taylor Swift (Musician)
Genre: Angst, Dancing, Drama, F/F, Inspired by Taylor Swift, Look it Up, Lots of Angst, Memories, Met Gala, Sad Ending, a car crash in reverse, all love is tragic in this era, and you get depression and you get depression, at least as i remember it, folklore makes me a depressed bitch, going backwards in time, happy ending? i don't know her, looking at a relationship in retrospect, lots of introspection, mirror ball, not for this era, silly but fun movie, that's a night at the roxbury reference, what even is love baby it hurts me so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 10:02:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25847773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishaDream/pseuds/WishaDream
Summary: Taylor and Karlie dance together as the end draws near.
Relationships: Karlie Kloss/Taylor Swift
Series: Tale's as Sad as Time [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875562
Kudos: 11





	Mirror Ball

Taylor’s silver dress sparkled in the dim light of the dance floor. The party was winding down as the dance floor cleared. But she was still there, dancing like her life depended on it, because, in truth, it did.

Across from her Karlie smiled, swaying in time with the music, with her. All her focus on Taylor and all Taylor’s focus on her.

That night she was doing everything she could to make the other girl smile, to get her to notice her. Everything just to keep her looking, all while her longtime boyfriend waited in the corner. The man that felt to Taylor like her male understudy. The counterpart to a relationship Karlie wasn’t comfortable displaying with Taylor. To the world. To their friends.

But Taylor didn’t want to pretend anymore. Didn’t want to lie. She wanted Karlie fully and completely hers.

That night she just wanted to get her out on the floor. Wanted to show her every version of herself. Every version of them. The things they could be. The ways they could exist before it all broke apart into a million pieces.

Every time she spun she remembered that, that she was breaking more and more, her shattered edges glistening like a beautiful mirror ball.

How much longer until she completely shattered? Till she completely fell apart.

When she did would Karlie help her pick up the pieces? Or would she leave with her beau making Taylor gather up her emotions alone?

Not alone.

Taylor’s current boyfriend was also there. But unlike Karlie’s man, he was completely for show. She did not even think about him as her focus was fully on Karlie that night, showing her every version of herself just to keep her attention.

It was just the two of them with no one else around. Taylor standing on her tallest tiptoes, spinning in her highest heels, shining just for Karlie.

The girl smiled then, her expression like the sun as she told Taylor, “You look like a mirror ball.”

The sound of her laughter made Taylor’s mind buzz with possibilities. With dreams of them leaving together and never looking back.

That was what she had hoped at the last Gala they’d attended together.

They’d spent almost the whole day together getting ready, putting on their dresses they had both requested from the same designer. But at the end of the day Karlie had gone home with the boyfriend and Taylor was left to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart.

Ever since the first time they’d met it had been like that.

The first time they’d officially met had been at a Victoria Secret show. The song that had played when Karlie had walked had been “I knew you were trouble.”

Taylor should have taken it as a sign, an omen of how things would play out between them.

But instead of making her slow down things had sped up.

There was a best friends road trip, taking Karlie as a plus one to the American Music Awards, moving in together, a second VS performance for her 1989 album, a Vogue cover shoot, her Bad Blood music video, Coachella, her annual 4th of July party.

And now they were here, again, at the Met Gala.

Last time had felt like a dream, with possibilities stretched out into forever in front of them. Now Taylor felt the oppressive weight of what could have been and what wasn’t all while her heart raced at the mere smile of the girl in front of her.

Now even more she felt like she was walking a tightrope, hanging above a crowd of cheering onlookers just waiting for her to slip up and fall. But the only one she cared about was Karlie.

Was she looking at her?

Did she notice how hard Taylor was trying?

Trying.

Trying.

She just wanted her to look up. To notice her. To return her feelings.

A waiter came over to the dancing pair reminding them, “the end is near,” like some foreboding raven from a gothic poem.

She wanted to swat them away, to cry out, “Never.” But the ache in her heart reminded her that this was just a fantasy.

All things came to an end.

Eventually.

Until that day came she would change everything about herself just to fit in. Just to keep her close. Because Karlie was unlike anyone she’d known before. In a room full of masquerade revelers she was light.

Anyone who saw her always said it was hard to take their eyes off her. And Taylor had been transfixed by the woman since the first time they’d met.

Had she been too quick in giving so much attention to Karlie? Of giving so much of herself away to her. Had they taken things too fast at the beginning. Was that why she was so unsure now. Balancing on that tightrope, waving in the wind.

When people had mentioned her meeting Karlie in the past, “You two will get along so well,” she had smiled and agreed it was something she’d have to do. But it was more out of politeness than an actual desire to follow through. But now that Karlie was a part of her life she couldn’t imagine life without her.

How had things come to this? To her doing everything she could to keep Karlie’s attention. To keep her coming back to her all while she had to let her go, sharing her with the world of modeling and being the perfect girlfriend. Both of them playing parts while never being fully commited to either.

Clandestine meetings and secret affairs. They both knew things like that never lasted forever and eventually one of the worlds they occupied would have to fall away. Taylor just wished it wasn’t hers.

That was why she was dancing. Spinning like a mirror ball, giving Karlie a chance to see things as they could be if she chose her. If Taylor was fully hers and her fully Taylors. Neither playing pretend. Both fully committed to the other.

With desperation she was holding onto those final moments of the song. Could Karlie tell that Taylor was asking if she wanted that as well? A life where they were both open with one another. That this was Taylor trying to show her commitment to Karlie. That she was trying.

A heartbroken, at least she was trying.

“We’re ending things,” called the event hosts as the music shut off and the lights came up.

But Taylor didn’t let Karlie go. Still holding on believing that this didn’t have to be the end. She’d never been a natural at these things all she knew how to do was to try, try, try. Still just walking on that trapeze trying to keep Karlie looking at her.

As the final party goers started to leave Karlie gave Taylor that smile. The one she always gave when she had to go.

Regret filled with this is how it has to be.

Her hand slipped out of Taylor’s as she walked off to the side, to the man standing, waiting for her like he knew she’d always come back. Like he never had any doubts in his heart about where she belonged.

He said something to Karlie that mad her laugh, but Taylor knew what her real laugh looked like, sounded like. His jokes weren’t funny at all.

It took her only five minutes to say her goodbyes and then she was gone, leaving Taylor holding all her love out there on the floor.

As she walked away Taylor felt deja vu like she’d seen this scene a hundred times before. And each time she never got the ending she liked.

What did she have to do to change it?

Who did she have to fight?

Did she have to fight till her knuckles were bloody? Two, three, a hundred times?

She had already fought so much and each time felt more unsure about whether it was all worth fighting for. It was like she was balancing on a dying tree, trying to reach the top for the promise that there was some sweet fruit waiting for her, but all she was waiting for was the branch to break under her.

If she cried would she stay?

It felt like no matter how hard or how long she did things they always turned out the same. All they were really doing was walking a thin line, neither really hearing the other, neither noticing the warning signs. All the time ignoring the cracks, just hoping for one more moment together. One more chance to be together without thinking about how everything was going to one day end.

Instead of crying out, instead of running after her she just let her go. There was no point. They were already speeding towards the cliff’s edge at full speed. Both enjoying the scenery, the music on the radio, all while ignoring what was coming. But eventually they would reach the end and they’d be sent flying off the edge, down into the abyss where they would explode in a fiery mess with no survivors.

“You ready?” inquired Taylor’s date.

She gave him a flat, “Yeah,” then left out the side door.


End file.
